Surprisingly, fourth-year Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Broderick Jones avoided starting training camp on the Active/PUP list Tuesday.
Doctors have fully cleared Jones to practice, providing a nice boost to the Steelers’ reshaped offensive line room for new position coaches James Campen and Jahri Evans.
Third-year center Zach Frazier thought it was great to see his teammate back out on the field. Jones finally worked with the offensive line after missing the team portions of OTAs and minicamp due to spinal fusion surgery.
“He’s good. He got cleared, happy to see him out there. We missed him all OTAs. He wasn’t cleared, so we’re happy to see him on the field, and it’s great to have him back,” Frazier said of Jones, according to video via the team’s website.
The Steelers moved Troy Fautanu to Jones’ natural position, left tackle, to help stabilize the offensive line. Still, getting Jones back in any capacity strengthens the entire group, especially early in the season.
On Wednesday, our own Alex Kozora noted Jones was working at left tackle with the second unit. As the Steelers work Jones back into the mix, it’s not a surprise to see him opening as the backup left tackle.
Hopefully the Steelers tap into his positional versatility as he gets back into football shape. He could work at right tackle and potentially enter the right tackle battle against Dylan Cook and rookie Max Iheanachor. After all, Jones played his first two NFL seasons at right tackle despite being a left tackle at Georgia.
It’s worth seeing how Jones acclimates in training camp. His weight remains in question, too, as some question whether he is lighter than usual. That wouldn’t be a surprise if he is, considering he is coming off major neck surgery. Right now, though, vibes are high with Jones back in the mix at training camp.